Molecules and Cells Minireview Transient Receptor Potential Channels and Metabolism Subash Dhakal and Youngseok Lee* Department of Bio and Fermentation Convergence Technology, Kookmin University, BK21 PLUS Project, Seoul 02707, Korea *Correspondence:
[email protected] https://doi.org/10.14348/molcells.2019.0007 www.molcells.org Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are nonselective Montell, 2007). These cationic channels were first charac- cationic channels, conserved among flies to humans. Most terized in the vinegar fly, Drosophila melanogaster. While TRP channels have well known functions in chemosensation, a visual mechanism using forward genetic screening was thermosensation, and mechanosensation. In addition to being studied, a mutant fly showed a transient response to being sensing environmental changes, many TRP channels constant light instead of the continuous electroretinogram are also internal sensors that help maintain homeostasis. response recorded in the wild type (Cosens and Manning, Recent improvements to analytical methods for genomics 1969). Therefore, the mutant was named as transient recep- and metabolomics allow us to investigate these channels tor potential (trp). In the beginning, researchers had spent in both mutant animals and humans. In this review, we two decades discovering the trp locus with the germ-line discuss three aspects of TRP channels, which are their role transformation of the genomic region (Montell and Rubin, in metabolism, their functional characteristics, and their 1989). Using a detailed structural permeation property anal- role in metabolic syndrome. First, we introduce each TRP ysis in light-induced current, the TRP channel was confirmed channel superfamily and their particular roles in metabolism. as a six transmembrane domain protein, bearing a structural Second, we provide evidence for which metabolites TRP resemblance to a calcium-permeable cation channel (Mon- channels affect, such as lipids or glucose.